Politics

Obama to Bypass Congress, Put Limits on Power Plants

by Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

(NEWSER) – For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency will set limits on the greenhouse gases power plants can emit. Today, the agency will announce that new coal plants' carbon emissions must stay below 1,100 pounds per megawatt hour, while new natural gas plants must maintain emissions below 1,000 pounds per megawatt hour (rules for existing plants are due in June). Many natural gas plants already keep to the specified limit, but for coal plants, the new rules "effectively require partial carbon capture and sequestration," says a White House official.